Can my EMG pickup be repaired?

About six months ago I took an EMG Het Set in trade for another set of pickups. I installed them on a guitar immediately and thought all was well.

I used the guitar at rehearsal at significant volume for the first time this past week. At high gain, the bridge pickup is squealing like crazy, and also appears to be microphonic. When I turn the volume knob down to 6 or lower, the squeal goes away (along with the desired tone). My two other EMG equipped guitars (81 in both) do not suffer with this issue.

I really like the sound of this pickup and I am hoping there is a way to repair it. I emailed EMG customer service on Thursday. Nobody has got back to me yet, but it's only been a couple days so I am hoping I am contacted next week.

Anyone know if this could be an issue other than a faulty pickup? Does anyone know who might be able to repair a microphonic active pickup?

Try it in another guitar and see if you still have the same problem. Could be the mounting of it.

Ultimately, if you can be sure it is a bad pickup and not the mounting or other problem, yes, it COULD be repaired. One could mill out the guts and build a new pickup inside the cover and re-pot it in epoxy. Realistically, that would cost more than a new pickup so it's just not worth it.

Try it in another guitar and see if you still have the same problem. Could be the mounting of it.

Ultimately, if you can be sure it is a bad pickup and not the mounting or other problem, yes, it COULD be repaired. One could mill out the guts and build a new pickup inside the cover and re-pot it in epoxy. Realistically, that would cost more than a new pickup so it's just not worth it.

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Thanks for the info. I am hoping EMG might hook me up somehow to get it fixed or replaced, even though I didn't buy it new. Otherwise, I'll just have to buy another one. Shame on me for not checking to make sure the pickup worked 100% right when I first got it.

If you don't get an email response, try calling (707) 525-9941 during office hours (Pacific Time).

I had a faulty pickup that came OEM with my new guitar and I made a video showing the problem, and called them up. They immediately set me up for RMA, I shipped them the pickup and got it back fixed within a week. Very smooth RMA experience.

Hmmm... I just did some wiring inspection. Inside the cavity everything looks fine. Moving the wires around inside the cavity didn't create any unwanted noise, but when I checked the battery compartment and giggled with the battery, it started squealing like crazy.

The 9v connector is one of those cheap vinyl ones. I snipped it off and rigged the battery to the bare wire and the noise is gone. I think this may have solved my squeal problem, but I won't know for sure until I can play loud with a lot of gain (my loud speaker cab is at our rehearsal spot).